Still no Coco Crisp in A’s lineup to start Texas series

Coco Crisp still is not in Oakland’s lineup – he’s made one start in the past eight games – and manager Bob Melvin said there is nothing new to report. Crisp has seen three specialists, in the Bay Area, Detroit and New York, and the diagnosis remains the same: allergic conjunctivitis.

I think that because most people are familiar with that condition, which is also known as pinkeye, the assumption is that Crisp would be back in a day or two, and certainly the A’s had hoped that. My understanding is that this condition can be worse if contracted as an adult, and Crisp’s eyes are so puffy, they practically look closed. He cannot see well, so obviously he cannot play baseball.

Melvin is an optimistic person and he has hoped each day that Crisp would be better, but today he looked a bit downcast when I asked about Crisp’s condition. “He’s no better today,” Melvin said.

The condition affects both eyes, and first one eye is better and the other worse, and then vice versa. “He’s just having a tough time getting any traction,” Melvin said.

Melvin called Crisp “integral for us,” and the A’s have lost four of those games he has not started. This is just not a good time for such an important piece to be out, and Melvin noted that when Crisp gets the OK to play, he might not be able to just jump into a game that day, he might need at least one day of just batting practice and other baseball activity first.

Josh Hamilton is back in the Rangers lineup after his own odd eye problem – he had ocular keratitis, or dry corneas, a condition believed to have been caused by too many caffeine drinks. He had missed five games with blurred vision.

I asked Melvin the obvious but necessary question about Hamilton’s impact on the Texas lineup, and Melvin said it’s basically pick your poison with the Rangers – they can all hit.

“He’s their guy, but he’s not their only guy,” Melvin said. “They’ve got Mitch Moreland hitting ninth. There’s no easy part of the lineup to navigate. It’s not like you stop there and take a deep breath because you’re past Josh Hamilton, because there are other guys who can hurt you.”

There are 10 games left, the A’s are four games behind the Rangers, and they play seven against Texas. Get buckled in.